The present invention relates generally to an automotive seat assembly and more particularly to an automotive seat assembly with improve storage characteristics and profile.
Automotive design considerations must often encompass a wide variety of tasks and applications for a single assembly. The multiple task assemblies are a reflection of the ever-increasing utility consumer's expect out of their vehicles. One common assembly subject to this philosophy is automotive seating. Automotive seating assemblies, especially rear-seating assemblies, must often be designed to fold down or stow away such that when they are not in use the consumer is provided with extended storage throughout the vehicle interior. For many automotive platforms, the storage of seating assemblies is virtually mandatory.
Although the stowability of seating structures may be required by way of design mandates, the seat assemblies themselves are of not-inconsiderable bulk. The seat assemblies must be designed in addition for their primary purpose, namely the comfort and safety of passengers using them for seating. Thus the ability to adequately stow the seat assemblies can become considerably challenging. Often designs require, at a minimum, that the seat back portion of the seat assembly be capable of being folded down against the seating portion of the seat assembly such that a nearly flat surface is obtained. Although the concept may appear simple enough, the complex features of modern seating often create design challenges to achieving this simple operation.
One of such challenges arises from the use of headrest assemblies that protrude from the seatback portion. These headrest assemblies commonly protrude vertically upward from the top of the seatback portion such that they provide head support to passengers during normal operations and vehicle impact. The headrest assemblies play a vital role in protecting occupant health. Unfortunately, present headrest assemblies additionally play a role in generating design challenges for storable seatbacks. When a seatback is folded down, the headrest assemblies often interfere with any seats positioned in from of the folded seatback. This can prevent sufficient folding of the seatback and may place undue stresses on the headrest assembly. The utilization of removable headrests adds undue complications to consumers and therefore is also undesirable. Headrests that fold backwards from the seatback top allow improved folding of the seatback, but in turn utilize areas of the automotive interior that would otherwise be suitable for storage. Thus this design is inefficient.
What is needed is an improved automotive seat assembly/automotive headrest assembly that would simplify and improve seatback storage functionality. Additionally, it would be highly desirable to have such an automotive seat assembly wherein the storage efficiency of the vehicle interior is maximized when the seatback is folded into the seatback folded position.